Day 14 was a tumultuous day of sumo, with many story lines tied up by the time they gave out the final stack of kensho. There will be three men who vie for the Emperor’s Cup on Sunday, and surprisingly enough, only a single Darwin match, as nearly all of the rikishi who could have ended day 14 with 7-7 scores are make-koshi instead.

Much of the sumo today was very work-a-day, which maybe should not have been a surprise. These guys ha ve been going full throttle for two weeks in an uncomfortably hot and humid setting, and frankly may be tired out, and just ready to get it over with. I am especially disappointed that two of the three Sekiwake chose to employ a henka today. What kind of poor excuse for fighting is that?

But day 14 had it where it counted, and the stage is set to finish things off in grand style tomorrow.

Highlight Matches

Tamashoho defeats Bushozan – Juryo visitor Tamashoho dispatches Bushozan with a fast tsukiotoshi on the second step. If you blink, you will miss it. Tamashoho now 9-5.

Kotoshoho defeats Takarafuji – I like how immobile Takarafuji was against Kotoshoho’s opening attacks, it was if here were fighting one of his children. Kotoshoho’s yotsu attacks had much more success, and Takarafuji found himself needing to actively counter each of the times Kotoshoho rallied. Kotoshoho was able to consolidate his grip, walking Takarafuji over the bales for a yorikiri, improving his score to 6-8.

Kinbozan defeats Shonannoumi – A very evenly balanced fight, where the two spent mosts of the match locked chest to chest with a right hand inside grip. Shonannoumi surged forward to try and break the stalemate, providing the weight shift that Kinbozan needed to power the pivot into a shitatenage, winning the match. Kinbozan advances to 7-7.

Endo defeats Myogiryu – Endo focuses his initial attacks center mass, and is able to move Myogiryu back, where a brief body hold is enough for the yorikiri. Endo now 9-5, Myogiryu make-koshi at 6-8.

Gonoyama defeats Takanosho – Gonoyama’s approach was to stand Takanosho up, keep him from attacking, and eventually swat him down. It took three tries, but the tsukiotoshi eventually found its mark, bringing Takanosho down. Gonoyama now 9-5.

Hakuoho defeats Hokutofuji – At last, some sizzle! Hokutofuji looks like he chose a yotsu battle, left hand inside and Hakuoho followed. This is the same configuration that took care of Nishikigi on day 13, so I was concerned from the start. Again Hakuoho left himself wide open for a throw by keeping is hips square and his feet aligned, but Hokutofuji made no move to try and capitalize on that. Hokutofuji was able to withstand the uchigake attempt, and waited Hakuoho out. Shortly after that, Hakuoho broke contact to try and set up a throw, and Hokutofuji was on the attack. He had excellent hand placement, his feet were solid, and Hakuoho was going out. But true genius is revealed when such things happen. With no space to execute, Hakuoho finds the ability to step to his right, pivot and thrust Hokutofuji forward and down, impossibly keeping one foot on the tawara while the other has completely left the clay. Hokutofuji rolls into the salt basket, as Hakuoho improves to 11-3, and will vie for the Emperor’s Cup on Sunday.

Aoiyama defeats Nishikifuji – Aoiyama reaches kachi-koshi with a traditional “stand him up, pull him down” combo. After an ice-cold start, Aoiyama won 6 in a row to rescue himself from the bottom of the banzuke and near certain demotion to Juryo. Well done! He is 8-6.

Daishoho defeats Takayasu – A clearly injured Takayasu struggles to endure much of any forward pressure that is not coming from straight ahead, he goes soft and steps across the tawara under gentle guidance from Daishoho, Takayasu make-koshi at 6-8, Daishoho improves to 5-9.

Kotoeko defeats Tamawashi – Kotoeko wanted a belt grip, and battled forward to re-establish it even after Tamawashi broke contact and delivered a potent face slap. The second grab of the belt worked, allowing Kotoeko to carry Tamawashi out at an angle, giving Kotoeko his 8th win and kachi-koshi for July at 8-6.

Tsurugisho defeats Midorifuji – To me it looked like Midorifuji got himself in a tight spot, getting a double inside grip on Tsurugisho, but then finding that Tsurugisho’s double arm lock kept him from doing much other than being a practice weight. Tsurugisho was able to lift Midorifuji, and almost had a kimidashi, but had to settle for okuridashi instead after Midorifuji partially escaped. Tsurugisho improves to 5-9.

Meisei defeats Hokuseiho – With any luck, Hokuseiho’s first professional sumo make-koshi will come to motivate him to hone his sumo skill. Guys who are big and sort of naturally can best their opponents through sheer size seem to have atrophied skills – a great example would be Ichinojo. Hopefully Hokuseiho can instead be huge, and skilled. We get to see Hokuseiho set up his traditional over the shoulder “Samsonite” grip on Meisei, but it does not seem to discourage Meisei one bit. They stand around chest to chest for a time, then Meisei throws just about anything he can think of into the mix to get Hokuseiho off balance, moving and then out by yorikiri. Meisei advances to 7-7.

Shodai defeats Oho – Oho was the attacker for nearly all of this match, but by the time he got around to trying to bring Shodai down, he was at least two steps out of the ring. Not sure how he lost track of that. Shodai picks up the win and is now 6-8.

Sadanoumi defeats Mitakeumi – Everyone is scoring wins on Mitakeumi this month. His sumo is lacking any power, and seemingly composed of random moves cobbled together. It’s really quite sad, which is probably Mitakeumi’s frame of mind. Sadanoumi scores a much needed win, and is 5-9.

Ryuden defeats Nishikigi – Nishikigi’s yotsu-zumo remains potent, but the finishing move was off balance, causing him to hit the clay first. The loss eliminates Nishikigi from the yusho race, which is a tremendous shame. Both end the day 10-4.

Tobizaru defeats Chiyoshoma – Ha! The super defensive tachiai from both of them underscores that they worried the other was about to throw a henka. They clashed after that, and it was rapid fire combo after combo from both rikishi. Once they locked up with Chiyoshoma getting a left hand inside grip, they jostled for any advantage, circling each other throwing kicks and pulls back and forth. Chiyoshoma’s loose mawashi prompted a halt, which I think probably ruined an otherwise awesome match, and once again we see a gyoji struggle to adjust a mawashi knot. When they resumed, Tobizaru immediately went on the attack, driving Chiyoshoma out. That’s an 8th loss for Chiyoshoma, and make-koshi, but an 8th win at 8-6 for Tobizaru, and kachi-koshi for July.

Kotonowaka defeats Ura – Ura finds himself too low, and his arms captured by Kotonowaka. Unable to produce much of any offense from that position, he works out a way to break contact. But Kotonowaka is ready, and rushes Ura out as he is trying to regain his footing. Make-koshi loss for Ura at 6-8, double digits for Kotonowaka at 10-4.

Abi defeats Hiradoumi – Abi executes a volley of double arm thrusts, into a pull down combo, dropping Hiradoumi by hatakikomi. Both end the day 5-9.

Hoshoryu defeats Wakamotoharu – Oh, Wakamotoharu. It was painfully obvious you are not the kind of rikishi who should be using a henka. You more or less threw that match away. A counter note, please someone help Hoshoryu reign in that attitude. Wakamotoharu’s failed henka robs him of any offense or defensive sumo, and Hoshoryu finishes him with a quickly assembled kotenage to improve to 11-3, giving him a share of the lead going into the final day.

Daieisho defeats Onosho – Another Sekiwake tries a henka, and I am genuinely unhappy. What should have been a maximum power of the big thrusters is not to be. Take your 9-5 and go back to the heya, Daieisho.

Asanoyama defeats Kirishima – The cherry on top of today was the brutal elimination match. Either former Ozeki Asanoyama was going to be make-koshi, or shin-Ozeki Kirishima was going to be make-koshi and kadoban for September. Kirishima got the first combo in, but a choice to break contact and shift right probably cost him the match, as it opened up his left side for Asanoyama to find a grip. Asanoyama’s right landed a moment later, and he had both the body position and the grip for an immediate sukuinage. With a thunderous pivot he hurled Kirishima to the clay. Kirishima make-koshi, Asanoyama improves to 7-7.

This is without a doubt one of the most brutal fight cards I have ever seen in my years as a sumo fan. Match after match are rikishi whose best possible outcome is a 7-7 score and a ticket to a Darwin match on Sunday. Fans, do not expect the matches for Sunday to be announced during the day today, they are going to wait and see who finishes where to pair them up. This is especially true of the yusho race, where the tantalizing possibility of a multi-way barnyard brawl for the cup is starting to take shape, with none other than the last man on the banzuke, red-hot Hakuoho in the mix.

Nagoya Leaderboard

In reality the hunt group is out of contention, unless something very unlikely happens. The winning score will be no higher than 13-2 this tournament, though I think 12-3 is far more likely. The top 4 men in this race are all deserving of special prizes, and please NSK, don’t stiff these guys. I suspect that we will come down to a playoff on Sunday, and that Hakuoho will be in the mix.

Leader: Hokutofuji
Chasers: Hoshoryu, Nishikigi, Hakuoho
Hunt Group: Wakamotoharu, Kotonowaka, Shonannoumi, Ryuden

2 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 14

Tamashoho (8-5) vs Bushozan (3-10) – Today’s Juryo visitor is the already kachi-koshi Tamashoho who is coming to apply some additional doom to the already heavily make-koshi Bushozan. Tamashoho won their only prior match, Bushozan is hurt, and this is not going to be much of a fight, I would think.

Takarafuji (8-5) vs Kotoshoho (5-8) – Takarafuji is already kachi-koshi, Kotoshoho already make-koshi, but it’s a good day to figure out how far down the banzuke Kotoshoho will drop. Takarafuji won 4 of their 5 prior matches, although Kotoshoho’s win is the most recent bout.

Kinbozan (6-7) vs Shonannoumi (9-4) – The best Kinbozan can hope for right now is to somehow find a win against red hot Shonannoumi, who is reaching for double digits in his first top division basho. That win would put Kinbozan at 7-7 and shunt him into a Darwin match on Sunday – oof. A loss is make-koshi.

Endo (8-5) vs Myogiryu (6-7) – Likewise, Myogiryu needs to find a win against already kachi-koshi Endo to secure a Darwin match tomorrow, or eat his make-koshi at the end of his fight today. He’s got a 10-8 score against Endo over his career, so it’s not out of the questions.

Takanosho (7-6) vs Gonoyama (8-5) – Takanosho can avoid his Darwin match by winning his first ever match against shin-Goeido, AKA Gonoyama. Gonoyama is already kahci-koshi, but I am certain he would love to run up the score.

Hakuoho (10-3) vs Hokutofuji (11-2) – A surprisingly early slot for such a consequential match. Sole yusho race leader, Hokutofuji, is up against the increasingly genki (even while injured) Hakuoho, who is just won win behind him. A Hakuoho win today would blow the yusho race wide open, and open the door for Hakuho’s protege to vie for the cup on Sunday. Wow.

Aoiyama (7-6) vs Nishikifuji (5-8) – A win today for Aoiyama would be seven in a row, and secure a come from behind kachi-koshi in a basho that I thought might be his last in the top division. That guy is as tough as iron, in my book. He won his only prior match against Nishikifuji on day 6 of Osaka this year.

Takayasu (6-7) vs Daishoho (4-9) – The best outcome Takayasu can hope for now, like many of the others earlier in the fight card, is a day 15 Darwin match. he would need to win today against Daishoho, which is entirely possible. They have never fought before, but Daishoho’s sumo is in shambles right now, worse than Takayasu.

Kotoeko (7-6) vs Tamawashi (8-5) – Kotoeko can avoid a Darwin match by winning against Tamawashi, something he has only been able to do once in 7 tries. Tamawashi is already kachi-koshi, so he may not be as willing to put his sumo up to full power.

Midorifuji (3-10) vs Tsurugisho (4-9) – Both are deeply make-koshi, but I think that both of them are safe from demotion at this point (lksumo’s analysis would trump my ideas here). Midorifuji has a 5-1 career lead in their matches, and Tsurugisho can’t withstand much forward pressure, so I would give an odd advantage to Midorifuji in spite of a nearly 80kg difference.

Hokuseiho (5-8) vs Meisei (6-7) – Another match where the best one of the competitors can hope for is a day 15 Darwin match. Meisei must overcome the enormity that is Hokuseiho to get to 7-7, or accept make-koshi. Hokuseiho already has his 8th loss, and is in new territory for him. He has been able to leverage his size and marginal sumo skills to carry him through every tournament up to this point, and now he faces the challenge of needing to grind out improvements to his technique going forward. Hokuseiho won their only prior match.

Shodai (5-8) vs Oho (5-8) – Both men come in with 5-8 make-koshi records, and are surprisingly similar in their sumo right now. I would label it as: vague, sometimes effective, and uninspiring. This is their first ever match, and I am suspecting Oho has a bit of an advantage as Shodai really seems to not muster much fighting spirit right now.

Sadanoumi (4-9) vs Mitakeumi (2-11) – Both make-koshi, both fighting well below their best, and both in dire need of rest, recovery and re-grouping. Mitakeumi has won 4 of their 6 prior matches.

Nishikigi (10-3) vs Ryuden (9-4) – Nishikigi was knocked out of the lead yesterday by Hakuoho, and he has a chance to re-enter the battle for the cup should Hakuoho score a white star against Hokutofuji earlier on day 14. But he will need to beat Ryuden, who is in better form than I have seen from him in some time. They have a fairly even 4-5 career record, so this one is a gut check for Nishikigi. I don’t think the kami who has taken a hold of him is done yet.

Chiyoshoma (6-7) vs Tobizaru (7-6) – Call this one a “mini Darwin”. We either get one make-koshi and one kachi-koshi out of this, or we get two men primed for a day 15 Darwin match. Tobizaru has won 7 of their prior 8 matches. Maybe today it’s finally time for a henka. Really, Chiyoshoma, it’s time.

Kotonowaka (9-4) vs Ura (6-7) – Yet again, we see a match set up where a rikishi can win today to get to 7-7, and face a Darwin match on day 15. They have had 3 prior matches, and Ura has only won one of them. He’s got to find a way to break through Kotonowaka’s massive defense and overcome a 30kg size advantage. Not easy for him, but possible.

Hiradoumi (5-8) vs Abi (4-9) – Both are make-koshi, so we may as well sort folks out for the September banzuke. I am not sure what happened to Abi this basho, but he’s not fighting well at all. He won their only prior match, but I suspect Hiradoumi has the stronger sumo today.

Hoshoryu (10-3) vs Wakamotoharu (9-4) – Wakamotoharu already shared the gift of “No promotion for you!” with Daieisho, now he can do the same with the one man with any chance of reaching 33, Hoshoryu. Hoshoryu has won 6 of their 9 prior matches, so Wakamotoharu has a tough hill to climb here today. A Wakamotoharu win today would also toss Hoshoryu out of contention for the cup, in most instances.

Onosho (6-7) vs Daieisho (8-5) – We see the pattern yet again – one rikishi needs a win to get to a Darwin score, or accept his make-koshi today. He’s up against a tough peer or superior opponent and needs to find a way to come up with some potent sumo after 2 weeks in the heat of Nagoya. Daieisho can’t be happy that his Ozeki bid for this month has run around, but to keep his hopes alive he needs 2 more wins.

Asanoyama (6-4-3) vs Kirishima (6-5-2) – If the rest of the day were not brutal enough, here we have it. A current Ozeki and a former Ozeki with matching 6-7 scores. One will be make-koshi today, one will improve to 7-7 and face a Darwin match tomorrow. Should Kirishima lose, it would be kadoban for him in September.

The 2023 Nagoya basho continues its topsy-turvy ways. We eliminate another Ozeki hopeful from the race to 33, we shuffled the leader board again, and we start to ponder the possibility of the last man on the banzuke, yet again, maybe taking home the cup.

With 2 more days yet to go, I suggest laying in supplies of sake, popcorn, and Pepto-Bismol, as this one is not going to go down easy.

Highlight Matches

Aoiyama defeats Tohakuryu – That’s now 5 wins in a row for an injured Aoiyama, incredible. Tohakuryu had never fought Aoiyama before, so he was probably not ready for the slap-slap-pull that is one of Aoiyama’s favorite combos. Aoiyama now 7-6.

Takarafuji defeats Chiyoshoma – It’s been a while since we saw Takarafuji be able to set up “that” stance, and engage in his favorite defend and extend tactic. But it was there today, and it seems to have thwarted everything Chiyoshoma wanted to use. When Takarafuji chose to attack, it was almost out of position as he hit the clay after sending Chiyoshoma out by yoritaoshi. Takarafuji finally kachi-koshi at 8-5.

Gonoyama defeats Tsurugisho – Gonoyama took charge of the fight, but switched from oshi-zumo to yotsu, even though the oshi attack was working quite well. Once they were chest to chest, Tsurugisho employed a few good combos to try and break Gonoyama’s attack, at least two of them nearly worked. The oshidashi finished the match, and Gonoyama advances to 8-5, and is kachi-koshi for July.

Kotoeko defeats Bushozan – Kotoeko ticks the boxes for an oshi-zumo match; he has his hands inside his opponent’s defenses, and he is hitting him in the middle chest, near center mass. Credit to Bushozan for putting up a solid defense for a time, but once Kotoeko had a clear attack route, he really leaned into his pushing combos. Kotoeko improves to 7-6.

Ryuden defeats Kinbozan – Once Ryuden gets his left hand outside grip, there is not a whole lot that Kinbozan is able to do. He struggles to break the grip if he can, but Ryuden has him locked up. With his heels on the tawara, Kinbozan loses traction and his left knee hits the clay. Ryuden improves to 9-4.

Hokutofuji defeats Endo – Hokutofuji completely disrupts everything Endo wanted to do. Hokutofuji’s “handshake tachiai” is really quite effective when he can land it properly. It sets up the initial pull down attempt that fails, but it leaves Endo doubled over with no foot position at all. A quick shove and he’s out. Hokutofuji maintains his share of the lead at 11-2.

Shonannoumi defeats Nishikifuji – This was a jolly mess of a match, with both men hopelessly out of step and off balance for a good portion of it. As Shonannoumi hit the clay, Nishikifuji’s foot was somewhere near the janome, so a monoii was called. Sure enough, there was an almost imperceptible dent in the fine sand just beyond the bales. The win went to Shonannoumi, advancing him to 9-4 while Nishikifuji is now make-koshi at 5-8.

Sadanoumi defeats Daishoho – Sadanoumi gets his right hand inside at the tachiai, and Daishoho responds with a arm bar hold. But the injured Daishoho can’t hold ground or defend against much forward pressure. Sadanoumi walks him back and out for a yorikiri win. Both end the day 4-9.

Tamawashi defeats Myogiryu – A quick combo attack from Tamawashi followed by a hikiotoshi, and Myogiryu hits the clay. Win #8 for Tamawashi, and he is kachi-koshi for Nagoya.

Kotoshoho defeats Hokuseiho – An odd stand up tachiai from Hokuseiho allow Kotoshoho to attack first. Of course Hokuseiho gets his right hand grip, but it’s inside rather than outside. Without that leverage point Hokuseiho struggles to really do much, as the much smaller Kotoshoho walks him out for a yorikiri. That’s 8 losses for Hokuseiho, and his first ever professional sumo make-koshi. Kotoshoho improves to 5-8.

Takanosho defeats Onosho – Excellent tachiai from Takanosho. He captures Onosho’s right arm and pivots away to prevent Onosho from going to full forward power. Robbed of anything to push against, Onosho is unable to set his feet to defend, and Takanosho attacks from an angle to Onosho’s hips. It’s a quick walk to the bales, and Onosho is out by oshidashi, giving Takanosho a win to improve to 7-6.

Meisei defeats Oho – Thrusting battle or pulling battle? I was not sure how to call this one as I saw three pull attempts before they took their second step. The match did not settle down from there, as both men were unable to decide between thrusting or body holds, and their arms were flailing about like willow trees in a hurricane. Meisei got the better of it and eventually his left hand caught Oho in the chest and shoved him out, advancing him to 6-7 while Oho has his 8th loss and is now make-koshi.

Takayasu defeats Midorifuji – Takayasu gets first contact at the tachiai, with a quick push back followed by a hatakikomi. In his current condition, Midorifuji was not going to withstand that. Takayasu improves to 6-7.

Hiradoumi defeats Mitakeumi – So let me get this straight, Mitakeumi was able to beat Kirishima and Abi, but has lost to everyone else. I get it, he’s miserable right now, and not really in a mood to compete. Hiradoumi did show us some solid sumo in turning the tables on Mitakeumi in this match, and I think it was a solid win. Hiradoumi now 5-8.

Asanoyama defeats Shodai – Asanoyama gets his favorite grip, gets into his favorite stance and just runs Shodai out. I think Shodai was somehow surprised at the speed and power Asanoyama brought to the match today. Shodai now make-koshi at 5-8, Asanoyama improves to 6-7.

Tobizaru defeats Ura – Brilliant fight, as we suspected it might be. Points to Tobizaru’s loose mawashi for being an identifiable combatant in this match, it kept Ura from unleashing any kind of throw or pivot move. Left with little to do but try to hold on, Ura was manageable and fell to a rather messy shitatenage that saw both men land in a heap. Tobizaru now 7-6.

Hakuoho defeats Nishikigi – Hakuoho, you just keep getting better. Hurt shoulder and all, you are really just killing it all around. There is some outstanding yotsu-zumo in this match, and it’s worth watching at least twice. For example, watch Hakuoho prevent Nishikigi from doing anything with his right hand. Forced into hidari-yotsu, Nishikigi is already off his sumo. Hakuoho stalemates him for a good long time, pacifying him. The finishing move is lightning fast and utterly brilliant as Hakuoho steps forward, brings his left leg to bear to set up the uchigake. He drops Nishikigi like bag of rice, removing Nishikigi from the leader position. The crowd loses its mind. Please keep in mind, this is just the first basho that this amazing athlete is competing in the top division. With luck we have years of this kind of sumo to enjoy from him. Both end the day 10-3.

Kotonowaka defeats Abi – Abi attempts a hit and shift tachiai, but Kotonowaka is having none of it. He captures Abi with a right hand inside grip and quickly puts him over the bales for a yorikiri. Kotonowaka now 9-4.

Wakamotoharu defeats Daieisho – Well, that’s going to leave a mark. With 33 wins out of reach for Wakamotoharu, he decides to pass it on and share with Daieisho. It was at least 60% Daieisho’s fault, as he was too eager to dial up the power, and allowed Wakamotoharu to close the gap and disrupt the thrusting attack. Daieisho was so committed to that route, that he persisted with massive forward power even at Wakamotoharu was setting up a step to the side. The resulting hatakikomi put Daieisho on the clay, and ended his bid to reach 33 wins for July. Wakamotoharu now 9-4.

Hoshoryu defeats Kirishima – The last man who might reach 33 wins, Hoshoryu, was able to deliver the goods today against the lone Ozeki, Kirishima. Hoshoryu used an off-angle tachiai to capture Kirishima’s left arm, and put the Ozeki off balance and on defense. Kirishima was unable to escape that hold, and Hoshoryu dominated the match, ending it by running Kirishima out of the ring. Hoshoryu stays in the Ozeki hunt at 10-3.

We enter the final three days of the tournament, and the story threads at the front of everyone’s mind are still waiting to be resolved. With the win/loss combos on day 12, we once again have a tie for the yusho with two unlikely contestants. Furthermore, it is not mathematically out of the question that as many as 10 people are currently in position to eventually take the cup.

The three Ozeki hopefuls are still pushing for double digits, but as predicted last weekend, now that they are in the “tough” part of their schedule, at the end of their endurance, in the sweltering heat of Dolphins Arena, some are finding it difficult to continue the campaign. I know that most folks work by the “33 wins over 3 basho” metric, but it’s really up to the NSK who they promote and when. So we won’t know for sure if anyone gets the nod until after the tournament. For folks hoping for a new Ozeki, there are a few paths that lead to none of the 3 reaching promotion criteria.

Nagoya Leaderboard

Oh, what a difference day 12 made. We are back to having Nishikigi and Hokutofuji tied for the cup, with Hoshoryu and Hakuoho (??!!!) one win behind. So far the two leaders are the only rikishi to reach double digits. The Ozeki hopefuls are on thin ice right now, with Wakamotoharu unable to reach 33, and Daieisho and Hoshoryu needing to win all of their remaining matches – unlikely as we will see them to head to head before the final day.

Leader: Nishikigi, Hokutofuji
Chasers: Hoshoryu, Hakuoho
Hunt Group: Daieisho, Wakamotoharu, Kotonowaka, Shonannoumi, Ryuden, Endo

3 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 13

Aoiyama (6-6) vs Tohakuryu (6-6) – Aoiyama can still rescue himself from a near certain demotion to Juryo by winning 2 of his last 3 matches. Given how poorly he was fighting in the first week, it was easy to predict that him getting this far would be very difficult, and indeed he has struggled daily, but he’s fighting his way through. He faces Juryo visitor and fellow 6-6 score holder Tohakuryu today in the first match. It is their first ever meeting.

Chiyoshoma (6-6) vs Takarafuji (7-5) – All Takarafuji needs is one more win to rescue himself from a risk of demotion to Juryo for the first time in over a decade. But in this second week, his winning sumo seems to be unavailable. He has a 7-10 career deficit against Chiyoshoma, who is well below his henka quota for July.

Gonoyama (7-5) vs Tsurugisho (4-8) – A Gonoyama win today over already make-koshi Tsurugisho would be kachi-koshi for him, and a posting closer to mid-banzuke for September. But don’t count out Tsurugisho yet – that fight on day 12 against Onosho was quite a bit more sumo than I thought he was capable of in his current condition. Another first ever match.

Kotoeko (6-6) vs Bushozan (3-9) – Kotoeko needs 2 more wins over the final 3 to reach the safety of 8, and he’s a strong candidate for a day 15 Darwin match at this point. I would like to think they gave him Bushozan today to let him pick up a 7th win and possible avoid the Darwin fate on Sunday. This is yet another first ever match.

Kinbozan (6-6) vs Ryuden (8-4) – Likewise, Kinbozan needs 2 more wins out of the final 3 to reach kachi-koshi, and is a likely Darwin candidate for Sunday. He’s never fought against Ryuden, who is already kachi-koshi, and may want to run up the score to get him close to his normal rank near the middle of the banzuke.

Endo (8-4) vs Hokutofuji (10-2) – One of a series of consequential matches for day 13, we get co-leader Hokutofuji up against Endo, who has lost the 2 prior matches. Hokutofuji has faced Endo 22 times, and they have a career score of 11-11, with Hokutofuji winning 3 of the last 4. That Endo win was the most recent match, Day 3 of Osaka this year.

Shonannoumi (8-4) vs Nishikifuji (5-7) – With his first ever top division kachi-koshi, Shonannoumi comes up against a man he has not beaten in both prior attempts – Nishikifuji. A loss today would mark Nishikifuji as make-koshi, which I am sure he would rather avoid. His only hope is to win the remaining 3 matches, including a day 15 Darwin bout.

Sadanoumi (3-9) vs Daishoho (4-8) – Both are already at 8 losses or above, and are fighting now to determine how far down the banzuke they will fall for September. Their prior matches break 2-1 in favor of Daishoho, but with both of them fighting poorly, it may come down to who can get a lucky break in the first 10 seconds.

Myogiryu (6-6) vs Tamawashi (7-5) – Tamawashi needs one more win for kachi-koshi, and I think today he has a good chance of getting that 8th win. He has a 10-7 career record against Myogiryu, but Myogiryu has won 3 of the last 4 matches against him, going back to September of 2020. The last two went to Myogiryu by hikiotoshi, so allow me to encourage Tamawashi to keep the nodowa going, and don’t lean into the thrusting attack.

Hokuseiho (5-7) vs Kotoshoho (4-8) – Hokuseiho id on the cusp of his career first make-koshi. He can still make it to kachi-koshi by winning all 3 of his remaining matches, and facing down a Darwin match on Sunday. Not impossible, but unlikely. I think we had more or less reached a point where his sumo has been deciphered, and most rikishi now have something they can try to overcome his size advantage. Time for more skill, young Hokuseiho! This is his first ever match against the already make-koshi Kotoshoho.

Takanosho (6-6) vs Onosho (6-6) – It’s the battle of the “noshos”! They are both 6-6, they have an even 7-7 career match record, and this match is right in the middle of the torikumi for day 13. Are the numbers nerds in the scheduling crew having fun with us again? You bet they are, and I love it.

Oho (5-7) vs Meisei (5-7) – A bit of a “mini-Darwin” here as the loser of this match will pick up their 8th win and be make-koshi at the end of the day. Both of their prior matches went to Meisei, and I think there is a good chance he will prevail today, as Oho continues to be hit-or-miss.

Midorifuji (3-9) vs Takayasu (5-7) – Takayasu is too hurt to fight properly right now, so lets just get him make-koshi today and wish him a speedy recovery, the poor hairy moose. Midorifuji is already make-koshi, but has a nominal 2-1 career advantage over the former Ozeki.

Hiradoumi (4-8) vs Mitakeumi (2-10) – Normally, this would be a chance to watch Mitakeumi completely mangle a smaller, less capable rikishi who somehow managed to stray onto his fight card. But given how poorly Mitakeumi’s been fighting, there is a fair chance that Hiradoumi might win their first ever match. Both are already make-koshi, but Mitakeumi seems to not have much fight in him right now.

Shodai (5-7) vs Asanoyama (5-4-3) – A glorious old rivalry, that favors Asanoyama 7-4. Both are nowhere near the expected rank we would want to see in competition, but I expect them to have a pretty spicy match regardless. Asanoyama needs to win the remaining 3, including a day 15 Darwin match, to manage 8 wins. A loss today for Shodai would be make-koshi for him.

Ura (6-6) vs Tobizaru (6-6) – Two high energy, high mobility rikishi going head to head. There is an even chance that one of them opens a portal to a parallel universe to swap back our version of Shodai for the good one, and that would be acres of fun. Both come into today 6-6, with Tobizaru having a 5-2 career lead.

Nishikigi (10-2) vs Hakuoho (9-3) – For the bottom man on the banzuke, they are giving Hakuoho some of the toughest jobs of the tournament. His shoulder was not good at the start, and after taking the brunt of a fall on day 12 against Abi, I would wonder wether he is fit to fight. Its a first ever match, with a real chance that he may forcibly tear Nishikigi out of the leader spot and drop him in the front row.

Kotonowaka (8-4) vs Abi (4-8) – Kotonowaka hit 8 wins on day 12, and Abi reached 8 losses moments later. They have a 5 match history, that probably does not matter much, as Abi is not even close to full offensive power. I predict this will help boost Kotonowaka’s score, further biasing him toward a Sekiwake rank should one of the Ozeki hopefuls get the nod.

Wakamotoharu (8-4) vs Daieisho (8-4) – Time for Wakamotoharu to play spoiler and set the stage for his next Ozeki attempt in September. He can blow a hole in Daieisho’s hopes with a win today. They share an even 3-3 score, and I think this match will come down to who sets the form on the second step. If Daieisho can keep distance and start his thrusting attacks, he holds a clear advantage over Wakamotoharu’s yotsu-zumo style.

Hoshoryu (9-3) vs Kirishima (6-4-2) – Kirishima’s chance to scuttle Hoshoryu’s Ozeki dreams, a win here today would make it impossible for him to reach 33 wins. Hoshoryu holds a 7-5 advantage on the clay, but with each winning one match so far this year. This one will be big, brutal and possibly quick.